City Engineer Kathy Martin said Garver will be paid $210,436
to design the new northbound lanes plus a series of vehicle crossovers for subdivisions
and apartment complexes lining the west side of Zierdt Road. Garver will also
figure out how best to improve drainage in a swampy area across from Lady Ann
Lake that the expanded road will brush past.

Also, the contract says the road work must not disturb the
groundwater recharge area for a cave on the arsenal that is home to an
endangered freshwater shrimp.

Martin said she expects the Alabama Department of
Transportation to seek construction bids on the new northbound lanes in "late
summer." The project will take about a year to complete. When finished, Zierdt
Road will be a four-lane boulevard with the northbound and southbound lanes
separated by a grassy median.

Building the new northbound lanes is the first step in a
multi-phase project to improve traffic flow around the arsenal's busy Gate 7
near the corner of Zierdt and Martin roads.